Finding Warmth in a Cold World
by Sahna
Summary: Yoko Kurama's feelings of guilt lead him to pull off a daring rescue mission that has reprecussions he never anticipated. YokoxSuichi
1. Chapters 1 to 5

**Chapter 1: Rescue Mission**

It only hit him while they were walking home, safe between Karasu and Kuronue. _My God… what the hell did we just do!? _Yoko stopped in his tracks and stared in speechless horror at nothing in particular.

Kuronue turned around. "What's up, fox?"

"D-did we really just do that, or was I dreaming some horrible dream?"

Karasu growled. "Oh it definitely wasn't a dream…" he purred, leaning against the wall. "It was quite real…"

Yoko laughed thinly. "Damn. What the hell has happened to us? When and how did we sink so low!?"

Kuronue raised an eyebrow. "How low is 'so low,' Yoko? 'Cause we were never real high to begin with…"

"Low enough to—to even just walk in there, never mind actually—" the fox stopped to glare at Karasu, who was rolling his eyes. "Demons we may be. Thieves we may be. Insanely sadistic psychos—" Karasu made a small noise of objection—"we may be. But I had thought we were all intelligent enough to overcome our most _basic primal instincts!_"

They both just stared at him, obviously at a loss as to why Yoko felt so guilty. The fox snarled in disgust and flitted away. Karasu made as if to go after him, but Kuronue held him back.

"He'll be back. He just needs to blow off some steam."

Yoko paced the dirt floor of his little hide-away, furious guilt etched into every line of his body. The three-chamber den was cunningly concealed behind a larger cave and almost impossible to notice unless one knew it was already there. _How can they not…! I don't understand how anyone could do such a thing and walk away without feeling any guilt at all! It's impossible. God I can't believe we did that… I can't believe _I _did that. I thought I was beyond that level of…of…primitivism. _

The fox sank to the pile of blankets that littered the floor and rested his head in his hands. _I don't know if I can even live with myself if I don't do something. Damn… but what can I do? No one's gonna listen to me, no one important enough to do something about it, at least. Maybe if I could break in…_

Suichi cursed to himself as he missed the meager meal that passed for dinner yet again. He followed an Overseer into the long hall, hands at his sides, eyes lowered, the paragon of obedience. He hated himself for it. But he knew there was nothing he could do. He k new he was trapped here, possibly forever. The thought almost brought tears to his deflated green eyes but he held them back. Any sign of emotion was severely punished.

The redhead flinched as the cold water hit him and washed away the blood that had been trickling down his body. Suichi knew better than to move or cry out as he was harshly scrubbed with a coarse brush until he was clean and raw. His back was on fire, and it hurt to walk but he followed the Overseer soundlessly and let him tie his arms behind his back and chain his ankle to the wall before smirking suggestively and leaving.

As uncomfortable and hungry as Suichi was, he slept, knowing that these few short hours were all the time he would have to do so.

Yoko crouched motionlessly in the tree, waiting for the lights to go out and the activity to cease in the building before him. His heart pounded in his chest and the adrenaline surged through his body like it always did right before a theft. The fox waited for the last few customers to leave and the clerk to go back inside before moving at all.

Like a shadow he landed on the roof, not even the slightest tap of his shoes would betray his presence. He noted with a smirk the open skylight, cracked just enough to let in the cool night breeze.

And enough for a thin vine.

Yoko marveled at the ease with which he was able to open the skylight and drop silently inside. He followed his nose, following the scent of fear and blood and metal until he reached a heavily guarded, heavily locked steel door. The fox ducked around the corner and pulled a carefully chosen seed from his hair. With a tiny sound the deep violet flower bloomed in his hand. Yoko buried his nose in his toga and closed his eyes as the flower's poisonous powder was carried on the breeze to the guards in front of the door.

He waited a few moments more, just to be safe. Yoko peered cautiously around the corner and smiled grimly. No one would be able to tell what killed them. He picked the lock on the door and slipped inside.

Immediately he wanted to be sick. The stench of despair and pain and blood and steel and leather was so overwhelming that Yoko knew he was in the right place. He let his nose adjust and then cautiously moved forward, his sharp eyes seeking out the one whom he had hurt. _Free him first, then as many more as I can before dawn or I'm discovered, whichever comes first._

Suichi jerked awake as someone covered his mouth. _It can't possibly be morning already…_ Slowly he opened his eyes, unable to distinguish anything but a blurred outline.

"Don't make a sound and don't move." The stranger breathed into his ear. There was a tiny click, and the redhead realized that the manacle at his ankle had been severed. He groaned under his breath. _Idiot…_

The stranger swore as the alarm rang through the building. Suichi gasped as the far wall exploded and his mystery rescuer picked him up and raced through the gap, security not too far behind.

Yoko had a good ninety seconds' head start and made it to his cave before his pursuers could catch up. He hurriedly pushed the boy into his little hide-away and turned into his nine-tailed fox form. The fox had just managed to curl up and look like he was sleeping before they came crashing through the woods. He sprang to his feet, stared at them and slowly began to snarl, his hackles rising.

"Well they're obviously not _here_." One spat, backing away from Yoko nervously. "Let's just keep going." The fox used all his guilt and rage to make his snarl sound even more ferocious. The others quickly agreed.

He waited until they were all gone before backing into the cave and turning back. With a relieved sigh he crawled through the secret passage and into the first cavern.

Suichi had been listening to the exchange above him, but his heart was beating so loudly all he heard were growls and muffled voices. His arms were still bound and he was still wearing the gag that held his mouth open. Half of the manacle was still trailing from his foot.

The outline of his rescuer appeared in the little hole through which they'd come, and lit a lantern. They both squinted in the sudden light. When Suichi could finally distinguish his rescuer's face, he drew back with a tiny cry of alarm and despair.

_It-it's him. It's one of the three who kept me past dinner. He probably wants me for himself. I should have guessed. I shouldn't have been so hopeful. Damn._ He stared at the fox dully.

And then the fox was behind him, untying the rope that bound his wrists. He gave a little hiss, from what, Suichi couldn't tell. He pulled his arms free and massaged his chafed wrists, still unwilling to trust his rescuer. But the fox didn't touch him. He didn't do anything for a while.

Finally he got up and said, "If I get some of your hair, I'm sorry." Suichi heard the crack of a whip and tensed himself for the blow, but it never came. He felt a slight breeze ruffle his hair, and then the gag fell away, the steel band cut cleanly in two.

Suichi sat up slowly, trying to close his mouth and feeling his jaw ache as it always did when it had been removed for meals. He didn't even notice when the fox cut the chain from his foot and pulled the leather band from his genitals. The human opened and closed his mouth, trying to get his rusty voice box to form the words that ran through his mind.

Yoko threw a blanket around the thin, trembling shoulders, if only to hide the marks that were the result of Karasu's sadism. He came around to stand in front of the silent boy.

"You hungry?"

The redhead tried to work his jaw, but gave up and merely nodded. Wordlessly Yoko scrounged about for some food; it had been a while since he had been here last. He found cheese that wasn't too moldy and bread that wasn't too stale and returned, silently handing the boy the food. He ate ravenously, obviously not caring that the food wasn't fresh. Yoko watched him in pained silence for a moment before closing his eyes and heaving a sigh."

"Th-th-than-k…. y-y-you." The hoarse whisper interrupted Yoko's thoughts. He opened his eyes and stared at the redhead. There were tears in the luminous green eyes, tears, Yoko could tell, that had wanted to flow for a very long time, and couldn't. He lowered his eyes again.

"I don't deserve your gratitude." He whispered back.

The boy shook his head and tried to form words again. "I… d-don't…c-c-care….a-bout… th-that." He managed to rasp. "Y-y-you s-s-saved me." The tears came then, thick and fast, pouring down the gentle face as his abused body was racked with sobs. "N-nine ye-years." He hiccupped, his voice getting stronger with each word. "Nine years I was there. D-day aft..er day I was u-used. It doesn't m-matter to me." He stopped to try and breathe through his tears. "I- I don't even re-rem-remember my own n-n-name, b-but c-can you at l-least t-tell me y-yours?"

"Yoko." The fox whispered. "Damn… nine years." He was shaking, partly from astonishment and partly from rage.

"S-so t-tired…"

The fox looked up and kicked himself for not realizing how exhausted this poor kid was. He helped him stand, and led him into another chamber that had a small bed in it. Yoko threw him a shirt. The boy stared at it for a second and then his eyes widened. Slowly, as if treasuring the moment, he pulled it on. It hung past his knees but neither of them cared.

Yoko led him over to the bed and pulled back the blankets for him. Wide-eyed, he crawled onto it and gingerly laid his head on the pillow. The fox placed the blankets over him, and the boy sank deep into the bed, a smile slowly spreading across his face through the tears that still coursed down his cheeks.

_That's the first time I've smiled in nine years! _ Suichi realized with a pang. _Bed…I'd forgotten what it was… so soft and warm and comfortable…_ He opened an eye as he heard Yoko start to leave.

"P-please don't leave me alone." He cried. Yoko stared at him before smiling gently and coming back over to sit on the edge of the bed. Suichi felt much better with his rescuer there watch over him and he quickly drifted into sleep, his brain barely registering the tentative twitter of the dawn birds as they greeted the rising sun.

When he awoke, Suichi immediately noticed that Yoko had fallen asleep where he sat, falling back on the second pillow. Suddenly the fox bolted upright, nostrils flaring and ears twitching. He leapt out of bed and told Suichi not to move before dashing out into the main room and up the passage. Suichi was left alone in the bed, his heart thudding as he strained his ears. All he heard were faint screams and even fainter snarls and yowls.

Finally Yoko came back in, the front of his toga splattered with blood. "Stupid security people just don't give up, do they?" he growled, tearing the soiled garment from his heaving chest and stalking through the bedroom into the third and last cavern. Suichi heard water splashing and the fox grumbling before Yoko emerged, his toga still damp but clean.

"This is going to be a problem…" he announced after a second. "Their damn tracker's nose has led them right to this cave twice now. I'm pretty sure they'll be back. The male-spirit-fox-defending-his-cave ploy has worked so far, but male fox's only remain in one place for a day or two at a time. If I'm still here tomorrow they'll get suspicious." He sighed. "I wish we had a female with some pups… or at least the illusion…of…" He looked like he had an idea. "Of course… she might be able to…"

"Who? Able to do what? Yoko what are you planning?"

Yoko looked at him. "I need to run an errand, kid. I promise I'll be gone ten minutes at most. You can time it."

Suichi didn't want to be left alone. "Wh-what if they come back?" he whispered.

The fox grinned at him. "Don't worry. I kicked their asses into next century. The soonest they'll be back is tomorrow." He turned somber. "I promise I won't be long." Before Suichi could raise any more objections, Yoko was gone.

Yoko darted through the trees, following his nose and his excellent sense of direction. He pulled up short as he almost collided with a small woman with shifty red eyes. She smiled up at him, and the fox suppressed a shudder. She was altogether evil-looking, with skin so pale it was almost white and a curtain of black hair that fell to her knees. Two enormous green wings sprouted from her back, to couple with the sharp ivory horns on her head and the heavy, reptilian tail that swished endlessly behind her.

"Just the demon I've been looking for!" the dragon said, her voice more growl than anything. "Come."

"I really can't stay long; I made a promise to a friend of mine…" Yoko said, the hairs on his neck standing up.

She cackled. "Sani knows all about your little friend, fox. Sani knows why you have come, and she might have something that may help you."

Yoko followed the mystic a little further before they stopped. The fox could see a silver form lying in the grass. He looked at Sani in mixed astonishment and rage. "Don't tell me you _captured_—"

"What do you take me for, a fool?" she snapped. "I found this lovely lady and her pups lying here in the grass so I did what I could. Now that she's better she won't let me near her. She's not strong enough to find shelter for herself and her two pups and her mate was apparently killed by something. However," She leered up at him. "I do believe _you_ have a solution, don't you?"

Yoko turned fox and came around to approach her from the front, staying in full view. The mother was tired and extremely irate, but she stood up and snarled at him, every hair on her body rising. Yoko stopped where he was and stood still, knowing that moving just one step closer would be a very stupid thing to do.

_::I mean you no harm. I actually have a proposition for you::_ Yoko's mind-voice cut across the vixen's maternal anger. Her hackles did not lower, but she stopped snarling.

_::What do you want?::_

_:: There is a cave not too far from here. I have been holding it as my own but I need a reason to hold onto it longer. I am willing to give you the front part of it if you let me and a human friend of mine pass through in peace.::_

She snarled at him again. _::Human!? You are keeping a human with you and expect me to let it pass through what you are proposing to be my den? It was HUMANS who did this to me! It was a HUMAN who killed my mate and three of my kits!::_

Yoko remained where he sat, painfully aware of the seconds ticking by. When she had calmed enough, he said, _::He is as weak as a newborn kit and could no more harm you than this rock. Nor would he even wish to. Please, my lady, I know I cannot replace your lost mate in heart but I can hunt and defend the den as well as any.::_

She regarded him thoughtfully. _:: What's in it for you? Why would you offer me your home and offer to hunt for a fox and her kits that you don't even know? What is it you are omitting from your plea?::_

_::Protection. A safe place to hide while my friend recovers his strength.:: _He answered her honestly, knowing that it was impossible to lie in mind-communication. _::It would look suspicious if I were to remain in that cave for more time than I already have been there. I need your help and I am offering part of my home and my protection in return.::_

She picked one of her kits up in her jaws and turned to follow him, evidently convinced. Yoko sighed in relief; he had his alibi. Now to get back before his ten minutes were up.

_::Normally I use my demon form. Please don't be alarmed if you see me as a demon and not as a fox.:: _he told her as they raced back to the cave.

They reached it with two minutes to spare. She sniffed around the large front cavern, obviously pleased. _::When you said, "front part" what did you mean? I see no other part…::_

Yoko fox-grinned. _::You wouldn't. That's the whole point. The back part is hidden and underground.:: _He nosed aside the roots that concealed his little passage and grinned again. He switched back to his normal form and disappeared down the hole.

**Chapter 2: Identity Crisis**

"Nine minutes and fifty-seven seconds." Yoko's guest whispered as he emerged from the passage. Yoko laughed.

"I didn't think you would really time me." He chuckled. The fox turned serious again and said, "Come up to the front with me a moment, kid. There's someone whom you need to meet."

The human followed Yoko up the passage and emerged, raising his eyes to meet those of a very startled, very suspicious spirit vixen. He swallowed, his eyes flickering to the two fox kits gamboling about the cave. The boy did not move, apparently aware that startling the vixen even more would not be wise. When she finally pulled her eyes away from him, he relaxed with a sigh. She looked at Yoko. _::You better hope no harm befalls me or my children whilst I am here.::_

Yoko knelt and stared her in the eyes. _::I swear upon my life that no harm will come to you or either of your kits in the defense, or lack thereof, of this cave. I claim no responsibility for the numerous injuries that fox cubs obtain on a day-to-day basis. If this vow is broken, then my life is in your hands.::_

She looked satisfied and turned away to marshal her unruly children. Yoko ushered the baffled redhead into the back of the cave. He turned as she spoke again.

_::Tell me, how do you summon your Spirit Fire if you constantly retain your demon form?::_

He grinned. _::I don't have to. I am not of the fire element as most foxes are. I am earth. I am a Plant Master. It is far easier to wield my flowery weapons when I have opposable thumbs.:: _He turned and disappeared down the passage again.

Suichi was irritated when Yoko had to leave again to go hunting. He was gone much longer this time, and the redhead was only slightly reassured by the presence of the mother fox. When he returned, it was with a brace of rabbits flung over his shoulder.

"I can finally produce a substantial meal for you." He said. Soon the smell of roasted meat was wafting through the little cave, the smoke drifting out through a hole in the ceiling.

Suichi stared at the food on the plate before him. He had almost forgotten there was other food in the world besides stale bread and moldy cheese. He ate slowly, savoring every morsel, and, later, savoring the feeling of a full stomach.

He slept well that night, his dreams full of a blurry image of a brown-haired woman whom he vaguely recalled calling something faintly to him. The image drifted away from him , her face receding into darkness as her voice faded with it.

"Su……i…..chi…."

The human did not recall his dream when he awoke, but he did finally remember his name. He spoke it aloud for the first time in nine years, and besides him Yoko stirred.

"Wha…?"

"M-my name." Suichi whispered. "M-my n-name is Suichi." Yoko smiled at him. His smile faltering as the redhead burst into tears again. "I can't b-believe I f-forgot my _name_!" he sobbed. "I don't r-remember a-anything! W-who am I, Y-Yoko? W-where did I come from? To whom was I born?"

Yoko could not answer him. "I'm sorry, Suichi. I know less than you do."

"Oh God, Yoko. Why can't I r-remember who I am? What's w-wrong with m-me?"

The fox shook his head. "Nothing's wrong with you, kid. You've been traumatized. It will come back to you, just like your name did. It may take time, but you will remember."

Suichi sniffed. "H-how can I regain my identity?" he whispered miserably. "It's not something one can lose that can be found so easily. How can I regain who I was?"

Yoko sighed. "You can't. I hate to tell you, but whoever you were is gone. You can regain a part of yourself but there will always be gaps in the person you are today. Time will heal, yes, and the gaps will shrink but they never go away. I'm sorry."

Suichi sighed and rubbed his haunted eyes. They sat in silence for a moment before the redhead spoke again. "Y-you wouldn't happen to have…b-bathing f-facilities… would you?" Yoko nodded. "May I please use them?"

The fox nodded. "Make yourself at home, Suichi. My home is your home."

Yoko was sadly listening to Suichi's yelps of pain as soap rinsed out his open wounds when shouts and snarls joined him from above. Quickly he scrambled up the tunnel.

"Nice fox… good vixen…" Kuronue was slowly backing up towards the woods, the mother fox advancing on him, stiff-legged. Yoko called to her and she spun around to face him, fangs bared.

_::You said it was only you and that pathetic human. How did you manage to think-lie?::_

Yoko shrugged and glanced at his lover. _::I didn't. It WAS only me and the human. I did not know he was even aware of this cave. But he is my mate. Would you please let him pass freely through your den?::_

Kuronue stared at the two foxes. "Uh, Yoko, is there something you're not telling me? Like, a _relationship_, maybe?"

Yoko looked up. "No, Kuronue. She's here to provide me with an alibi for remaining here as well. What do you want?" He stopped Kuronue from speaking. "Wait. Karasu, get down here, but go slow and please don't startle her."

The raven slowly dropped down from branch to branch, keeping his eyes locked with the vixen's. She watched him warily but did not complain.

_::Your other mate, I presume?::_ Yoko nodded to her and she growled and stalked back into the cave.

"Aren't you going to let us inside, fox, now that your security guard has been pacified?" Kuronue sounded amused and irritated at the same time.

Yoko glared at them both before gruffly beckoning them to follow, leading them through the front cavern and its high-strung occupant and into his little hidey-hole. He was still quite furious at the pair of them.

Once they were settled in the bedroom, Kuronue spoke. "Fox, after you ran off we both realized you were right. We realized that we have sunk so far into disgrace as to pleasure ourselves on a defenseless human. And we both want to apologize."

Yoko stared at them coldly, mentally calculating how long it would take for Suichi to push aside the curtain between the bed and bath rooms. Finally, he said, "It's not me to whom you should be apologizing, it's—" he paused and dramatically flung out his hand just as Suichi pulled back the curtain and stepped out. "— him."

The redhead cried out in fear and shock and shrank back. Kuronue's mouth twitched. Karasu tensed. "When I heard that someone had been stolen from that place, I had a feeling I knew both whom the thief was and who was taken." Kuronue said dryly. He turned his serious violet eyes on Suichi, who shrank back even further. The bat stood and bowed elegantly, taking the human completely by surprise. "Please accept my most sincere apologies." He said gruffly.

Karasu looked at Suichi to, the look in his eyes reminiscent of those of a dog that has been caught chewing on the furniture. "'m sorry." He grunted. "I really am."

Yoko smiled thinly. "The very fact that you're apologizing at all proves that you mean it more than words ever could. Thank you, Karasu." He looked at Kuronue. "You too, Kuro. And I'm sorry I flipped out on you two and dashed off like that."

Kuronue grinned at him. "Least you could have done was invited your partner-in-crime along! You know how I hate missing out on thefts!"

Yoko rolled his eyes. "Right. Now, both of you, out! This little place was not meant to hold four people." He led his two lovers outside and to the edge of the woods. Karasu grunted a "good bye" and darted away with that same strange look on his face.

Kuronue grabbed Yoko and kissed him deeply before turning to leave. He looked over his shoulder at the dazed fox and whispered, "Come home soon, Yoko. We both miss you." The bat followed Karasu into the forest and out of Yoko's line of vision.

Suichi was still shaking in fear and rage as Yoko re-entered the room. "H-how can you forgive them s-so easily?" he whispered.

Yoko regarded him sadly. "Because I love them, Suichi." He said simply. "As much as my sense of justice wants me to, I can't stay mad at them." The fox's gaze turned sharp. "But how can you forgive ME so easily and still resent them?"

Suichi felt the tears welling up again. "Because YOU are the one who rescued me! You got me away from there and saved me from a fate far worse than death." He lowered his eyes and whispered. "And you weren't hurting me as much as they were…" He watched in disinterest as a tiny wet spot spread across the blanket.

Yoko sighed. He knew Suichi spoke the truth. "Suichi…" he finally said. "Didn't you see Karasu's eyes? I've never seen him so upset about anything before. Just the fact that he showed up here and apologized at all proves that he feels really, really bad. And Kuronue uses jokes and unnecessary flourishes as a cover-up when he's really upset." He held up a hand. "I'm not asking you to forgive them now. Just, please, know that neither of them would even touch you again, if anything because they both know I would kill them. But even without that threat I don't think either of them would hurt you." He finished his mini-speech and stared at the human's bowed head.

Suichi looked up at him and nodded. He did not, could not forgive the two black-clad demons but he would accept them if he had to. He yawned and curled up under the blankets eyelids heavy with sleep. This time, he felt Yoko crawl into the warm bed next to him instead of sitting on the edge until he fell asleep.

"NO! STOP…please…." Yoko opened his eyes in alarm as Suichi's terrified cries pierced his peaceful slumber. "Please no… no more… it hurts…stop! NNNGG!!" The bed shook as the human flailed wildly.

Half asleep, the fox pulled Suichi to him, holding his quivering form to his chest and crooning softly. "Shh… it's okay, Suichi. You're okay. It's just a dream. Just a dream, Suichi, calm down. You're safe. No one is hurting you…shhh." Slowly the redhead stopped his flailing and the cries and screams were replaced with a quiet sobbing.

_It stopped…the pain stopped…he's gone. Now I just feel warm and safe…what happened? _Suichi's eyes fluttered open and he looked up through tear-blurred eyes at the fox that held him loosely to his chest.

"Y-Yoko? W-what…?"

Yoko cracked an eye. "You were dreaming, Suichi." He mumbled.

"Yes, but why are you…?"

He shrugged. "Calmed you down, didn't it?" he whispered with a slight smile on his face.

Suichi pulled away. "P-please don't touch me…" he whispered back. "It-it's not you, Yoko, it's—"

The fox nodded, his smile fading. "I know. 'M sorry. I just thought you needed to be comforted or somethin' I dunno I was half asleep. Sorry."

Suichi sighed. "Just…just shout my name really loudly next time or something." _How do I know that having me so close to your body will awaken your more…carnal desires? I'm sorry Yoko I just can't trust anyone on that level yet…_

**Chapter 3: Dirty Little Secrets**

Suichi eyed Yoko warily as the fox entered the bedroom, glassy eyed and limping but with a blissful smile on his face. He edged away as the fox crawled into bed.

After a moment he spoke. "H-how can you let him do that to you, Yoko?" The six days of his freedom had done much to eliminate his stutter.

The fox's eyes cleared and he looked startled. "Let who do what?"

Suichi frowned. "Don't play dumb, Yoko. Anyone from here to the Human World could have heard you two in there…" he flushed.

Yoko laughed. "Oh, that. I let him because I love him and I want him to."

Suichi snorted. "You WANTED that?"

The fox sighed. "I wouldn't expect you to understand." He said, not unkindly. "But there's a difference, Suichi. This is… love. _That_ was just…lust. Desire. Carnal instinct."

The redhead stared at him, eyes wide with horror and anger. "How can you still think he loves you when he hurts you like that?" he whispered, voice quivering.

Yoko opened his eyes and stared back at him, hurt and rage in his eyes. "I don't think Kuronue loves me, Suichi. I _know _he loves me. Everything we do is consensual. He stops if I say no; he knows my limits and does not cross them. Ever. You've only really seen the bad side of him; the wild side. He's not like that." The fox rolled over and faced the other way, signaling that the conversation was over.

Suichi stared at his back for a moment, still at a loss for how the fox could be loyal to a person who caused so much pain. They had been home for two days and Suichi had seen no sign of love as he knew it between the three demons.

Yoko heaved a sigh as hot water sluiced him clean. He was so lost in his thoughts he didn't even notice as someone slipped into the bathroom.

"What's wrong, love?" Arms were around his neck and the soft voice whispering in his ear. He leaned back into the embrace.

"Karasu…" he purred. "Nothing's wrong. Why?"

With a snort of disbelief the raven spun him around and kissed him, fiercely and gently, passionately and tenderly. Yoko whined and fell into the kiss, fell into those slender arms. He started to purr again as Karasu sat and pulled him into his lap.

"Don't lie to me Yoko. You looked so sad and pensive. What's bothering you?" Karasu's liquid voice warmed the fox even more than the hot shower did.

"I-I can't say it, Karasu. Even though I love you and trust you, I—I just know that once I say it out loud it'll be final and I'm scared it's not just my body…" Yoko sighed.

A smile flickered across his lover's smooth face. "Fine. If I tell you my secret will you tell me yours?"

"Mmm…depends on what secret you tell me. You must have more than one…"

Karasu smiled again. "How about I give you the answer to the question you're always asking me?" he whispered.

Yoko's ears pricked. "You must want to know what's bothering me really badly, don't you." He laughed. "Alright."

Karasu took a deep breath and began in a low voice. "You always want to know why I refuse to 'play rough' as you put it. You complain that I won't even fuck you too hard. Constantly you ask me why. Why I refuse time and time again even though we both know pain is my biggest fetish.

"But there's your answer. It's _because _I love causing pain that I refuse to do so to you. I love you Yoko. You're the first person I've ever loved and I don't want to destroy that. You don't know what it feels like to be so addicted to something it scares you! Sadism is a drug, Yoko. It's the worst drug to get addicted to and I was hooked at a far too early age.

"I've had so many lovers, Yoko. Most of whom I cared nothing about. They were my playthings, my toys, the innocent victims of my addiction. I would be consumed by the desire to hurt, to maim, to punish. And they would all beg for it, much as you do, not knowing what they were getting themselves into. It makes me sick to my stomach to think of some of the things I did to them, deaf to their pleas, blind to their suffering.

"I-I know I tortured at least three of them to death. At the time I would only feel a small amount of remorse. Now the guilt weighs heavily on my shoulders. Some of the others probably died as well, but after I had left. I lived in the haze of drug-induced screams and pain and blood." He paused to take another deep breath. "And then, I met you. You fought me, beat me, rescued me from your crazy plant, nursed me back to health, and I fell in love with you. And I knew that I couldn't bear to see you as I had seen some of the others: a crumpled, broken, bleeding, dying, sobbing, pathetic lump. That's why I refuse to hurt you at all. Because I know that once I start it is very, very difficult to stop." His little story finished, Karasu looked at Yoko.

The fox huddled into Karasu's arms, all the more terrified of and attracted to the raven. Karasu hugged him and kissed his neck, simultaneously stroking the fox's silver hair.

"Yoko? I need you to promise me something. If you ever see a look—you'll know it if the gods forbid you ever see it—I need you to promise me this."

The fox interrupted him. "What, that I'll turn and run for my life?"

To his surprise, Karasu shook his head. "No. I want you to promise me the contrary: That you won't run. Running will make me chase you, which will make me irritated, which will make the whole thing worse. I want you to stay right where you are and beat the crap out of me before I can touch you." Yoko stared at him and would have started laughing if his lover didn't look deadly serious. Karasu kissed his head. "If the fighting itself isn't enough to clear my head, then a full-force punch from you certainly is." He grinned at Yoko. "There. I told you my dirty little secret, now you tell me yours."

Yoko bit his lip and stared at the white porcelain.

Karasu sighed. "Fox, you'll feel much better if you get it off your chest. I know it's cliché but it's the truth. I do feel a lot better now."

"I know. I was just thinking that it doesn't come anywhere near the scale of what you just told me." Yoko sighed. "I-I think I've fallen in love with Suichi. But I'm afraid to tell him because I'm afraid he won't believe me and just think that I'm trying to get him into bed and I'm not even sure if that's _not _the truth and I don't want to hurt him and I don't think I could take it if he didn't believe me." He said hurriedly.

Karasu stared at him. "That's it? You're agitated because you're in love with Suichi? Damn I thought something was _really _wrong!" his smile faded. "But I can see why you're bothered by it. Do you love him enough that it might be worth taking the risk of just telling him?"

Yoko shook his head. "I would tell him… I have no problem with telling him… it's just that I'm scared he won't believe me… that he wouldn't trust me to not just be trying to get into his pants."

"Yoko, why wouldn't he trust you? You rescued him from that place, you fed him, sheltered him, and clothed him, you slept in the same bed with him every night and never once tried anything, and you've treated him as a friend and as an equal and tried to cheer him up when he gets depressed. Why the hell wouldn't he trust you?"

Yoko shook his head. "But if he didn't—"

Karasu hissed in impatience. "Ifs and buts, fox. Ifs and buts. How will you ever know the answer if you don't just go tell him? If he doesn't believe you at first then big deal, he'll eventually realize you do love him." His eyes softened. "I know you're scared of rejection Yoko. We all have our weaknesses but how can we overcome them if we let _them _overcome _us_?"

"Damn it, Karasu! Why do you always have to make so much sense?" Yoko sighed dramatically. He got up and turned off the water, feeling the raven's eyes on his back as he stretched.

"Suichi? Suichi could you wake up for a moment? I need to talk to you."

The redhead cracked an eye and stared at Yoko. He looked anxious and kept biting his lip nervously. "What is it, Yoko? What's wrong?"

The fox sighed. "Nothing's wrong Suichi. It's just that I-gods I love you so much I really mean it Suichi please I need you to believe me I wouldn't lie to you about something like this I swear I'm not just trying to get you into my bed I really do love you and I don't even care if you love me or not, it would be nice but as long as you beli—"

Suichi cut off his endless tirade. "W-why wouldn't I believe you, Yoko?"

Still nervous, the fox didn't seem to hear him. "—believe me I really don't care if you love me just please don't think I—wait, what?" He blinked and looked at Suichi, who had started laughing. "What did you say?"

"I asked why you would think I wouldn't believe you!" The redhead finally said.

Yoko shrugged. "I don't know, maybe you would think I was just saying that so I could—wait, does that mean that you do believe me?"

Suichi stared at him indignantly. "Of course I believe you. I'm hurt that you would think I wouldn't!" He squealed as Yoko pulled him into a hug. "Yoko… I just realized that that's the first time I've laughed in nine years… thank you."

The fox laughed himself. "I'm just so relieved… I was so scared you were gonna run off and hate me because I was trying to use love as an excuse to fuck you."

Suichi sighed. "Yoko… I couldn't even tell you if I love you back or not… I'm all so jumbled! It's been so long since I've felt anything but pain, despair, helplessness, hopelessness… that now all the happiness and comfort and joy and all those good feelings are so tangled together I don't know what's what!"

"I don't care, Suichi. As long as you don't hate me I'm happy." Yoko mumbled, the stress he had been under, combined with the sudden relief had worn him out and he was drifting off to sleep.

Suichi smiled and le the fox keep his arms wrapped around his smaller frame as both quietly drifted off.d

**Chapter 4: Dreams of Truth**

_**Her face was so much clearer this time. He could see the desperation in her eyes as she called his name, and he could see the tears streaming down her face. But she couldn't see or hear him, even as he sat in the car right next to her. He could only watch as she drove slowly through the city, pinning up posters with his face on them and asking people if they had seen him.**_

**_::HERE! I'm right here!:: he tried to communicate but she couldn't hear him. She only blinked and shook her head, her eyes tearing up again._**

_**Now he watched as she slowly replaced the phone on its cradle, sinking onto the sofa and beginning to cry. The tears turned into sobs.**_

_**"My son… my only son… where are you? Come home! Please come home… I know you're still alive! I don't care what the police say I know you're still alive somewhere. Come home!" As she spoke her surroundings began to focus, and he vaguely recognized the living room and kitchen beyond. The woman sobbed loudly. "Please come home, my darling Suichi…"**_

_**His eyes widened. ::MOTHER!! Mother, I'm here! MOTHER! MOTHER!::**_

"Mother!"

Yoko opened his eyes. Suichi was sitting up awake and wide-eyed, staring at the dirt wall. "What?"

"M-mother…" he whispered. "H-how could I have forgotten my mother? How could I have—oh my ­_God_!" the redhead looked at Yoko miserably. 'It all just came rushing back. I had a dream and everything just suddenly re-entered my memory!"

"I can take you home if you wish." The fox said quietly, not liking the idea but knowing he had to put it out there. "I can take you through to the Human World."

Suichi's eyes lit up. "Y-you mean I could go home? I'm not stuck here?" he quieted. "B-but how? I thought demons were all some big secret."

Yoko smiled. "We were…up until about four years ago. Now there are guarded portals between both worlds. You can go home."

His delight would not return. "What would I tell her?" he whispered. "How could I explain a nine-year absence?"

An idea struck Yoko. "Suichi, you—you said you are the only one to ever escape, right?" Suichi nodded. "Don't you think the rest of the humans would be furious if they found out? Furious enough to petition the leaders of the Makai to stop it?" Once again, Suichi nodded, looking pensive. "Tell your mother the truth. Get hold of the newspeople and tell them the truth. Tell them everything. If this were to get on the air on national television…"

Suichi caught Yoko's eyes. "Y-you'd be there with me, right? I don't know if I could do it without you…"

The fox hesitated. He hated human cities. The noise, pollution, smells, and lack of anything green made his skin crawl. Eventually he smiled. "O-of course, Suichi. I'll be there."

"When should we leave?'

Yoko shrugged. "If we left now, we could get there at around 2 A.M. Makes all the more of an impression if you show up on the doorstep at some insane hour of the morning."

Suichi laughed. "You are such a drama queen, Yoko. I have no objection to leaving now, but what about you? Shouldn't you tell Karasu and Kuronue?"

He shrugged again. "It's not unusual for one of us to disappear without explanation for a while. I'll deal with them when I get home."

The two of them lurked in the woods, out of sight of the guards. Yoko sighed.

"The only way to get through that portal without being subjected to hours of questioning is to go through so fast they don't even realize what hit 'em." He looked at Suichi. "I'm gonna have to carry you." Suichi nodded and Yoko picked him up, carrying him as if he weighed nothing, and dashing past security so fast they didn't even notice.

Immediately as they entered the portal, Suichi could feel the pressure. Yoko put him down but kept a hand on his shoulder. "The sheer power put into this barrier is enough to kill a human in a fraction of a second. That's why all humans who cross must have a demon guide keeping physical contact at all times." They passed through the eerie space in silence.

When they were close enough to see the human world at the end of the portal, Yoko picked Suichi up again and darted past the even more oblivious guards. Safely outside the building, he set him down again, his fur rising involuntarily as his lungs came in contact with the foul air of the city.

Suichi cried out and huddled against Yoko, his breath condensing in the icy winter night. Dressed only in a pair of cotton pants and a t-shirt the human was ill-equipped for the sudden cold. It was summer in the Makai. Yoko had quite forgotten that the seasons were backwards here.

It was just their rotten luck that snow began to fall, thick and fast, as they walked. Suichi laughed bitterly. "I u-used t-to l-l-love s-s-sn-now." He chattered. "B-but I c-c-can't-t s-say I l-like it t-t-too much r-right n-now." Suichi looked at Yoko, who didn't look even remotely chilly. "A-aren't y-you c-cold, Y-Yoko?"

"Not really." He said. "It gets much, _much _colder than this in the Makai winters. This is like late autumn weather for me." The fox looked over at Suichi. "Do you know where we're going or are we just randomly wandering?"

The redhead nodded. "I r-remember-r m-my a-a-ad-d-ddress so I c-can t-tell where to g-g-go f-from h-here." His teeth were chattering so loudly Yoko could hear it. "Th-thankf-f-fully it's n-not t-to f-far…"

Yoko laughed and wrapped an arm around the human's trembling shoulders. Suichi pressed close to him, drawing warmth from his lean frame. They ignored the stares of the few stragglers out at half past two in the morning."

"H-here w-we are." They stopped in front of a tall building. "Th-thankfully there's n-no d-d-doorman." Suichi pushed open the doors and gratefully stepped into the heated lobby, sighing in relief as the ice melted out of his hair to make a puddle on the floor. Yoko shook the frozen snow off himself and followed his friend to the elevator.

With trembling fingers Suichi pressed the button and they waited in silence for it to arrive. Trancelike, Suichi moved down the hall, his eyes fixed on the door at the end of the corridor. He reached out and pressed the doorbell. When nothing happened, he pressed it again.

This time they heard a thin, tired voice call, "Coming." Suichi stiffened.

The door opened a crack and an eye was visible. It suddenly widened and the door opened the whole way. The woman was frail looking, with wispy brown hair and eyes of the same color. They were wide with disbelief and shock.

"S-Suichi?" she whispered.

Suichi smiled. "Yes, mother. I'm home."

With a cry she flung herself at the redhead, bursting into tears. "Suichi… Suichi… Oh God I had thought I'd never see you again! I'd given up hope, I—what happened? Where were you?" she ushered her son inside almost closing the door in Yoko's face. Suichi caught it at the last minute and let him in.

"Who is he?" The woman cried, staring at Yoko in horror.

"Mother, it's alright. He's with me." Suichi took her hands in his. "Yoko is the sole reason I am standing before you right now. He's my best friend mother. It's okay." The redhead looked at Yoko. "Without him I'd still be trapped."

His mother nodded slowly and looked at the fox. "Your name is Yoko? Then thank you, Yoko-san, for bringing my son home!" She bowed, tears threatening her eyes again. "I am Shiori."

Yoko returned the gesture as the glow of the slowly rising sun turned the fresh snow a pale pink.

_**It was cold. He opened his eyes and stared at the blanket of white stretching endlessly before him. More of the icy flakes blew down from the sky in an angry swirl, and the freezing wind cut him to the bone. Suichi stood and started walking, knowing that to lying still in the snow is a dangerous and stupid thing to do. On he staggered, fingers, ears, and toes numbing. It never ended. The snow kept falling, and the land stretched before him, unchanging and unwavering. Everything was white: the sky and the Earth were indistinguishable. He didn't know which way was up. It was so cold. He fell to his knees, unable to go any further. The ice soaked through his thin pants and burned his legs. Slowly he began to cry, the tears freezing on his cheeks. It was so cold. The whole world was frozen and he was the only being of warmth.   
**_

_** Footsteps crunched through the snow. Suichi turned, and saw a figure of white, hardly visible against the blinding storm. The wind blow his long hair into a silvery halo. **_

_** Suichi's eyes widened. Behind him the snow was melting, and the grass seemed to grow beneath his feet as he advanced through this winter wonderland. Suichi hauled himself to his feet and stared at this god of warmth. His gold eyes were salient against the white of his hair and clothes and the swirling white cold. As he neared Suichi could feel the warmth radiating from his body and he stumbled forward, desperate for heat.**_

_** And then he was wrapped in the heat of this god's arms and light exploded around them. The snow pulled away from them and the grass sprang up. Suichi looked behind them and trees rapidly emerging from the ground. His ears caught the sound of tentative bird calls, and his nose the scent of new spring flowers. The saline ice melted from his face and resumed their course down his flushed face.**_

_** Together they started to walk, leaving warmth and light behind them. Around them, the cold unforgiving winter whirled and shrieked, as if furious that such a creature dared disrupt the freezing deathly landscape...  
**_

AUTHORS WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS DESCRIPTIONS OF A DISTURBING NATURE. (It made me cry when I wrote it, in other words). PLEASE CONTINUE AT YOUR OWN RISK. WHATEVER YOU ASSUMED HAD HAPPENED TO SUICHI IS ABOUT TO BE BLOWN AWAY IN A REALLY DISTURBING MANNER.

**Chapter 5: Revelations**

"Suichi are you sure you want to go through with this? You had such a hard time just telling your mother the whole story… are you positive you want to tell the whole country?"

For the fourth time that morning, Suichi sighed and looked at the anxious fox. "Yoko, we've been through this already. My nervousness counts for nothing if I can get all the others out of that horrid place! I'll be fine, I promise."

The editors for the national newspaper had agreed to give Suichi an interview after hearing the basic idea of his story. They were due to arrive any moment, and as the seconds ticked by, Yoko grew more nervous and Suichi more composed. Finally the doorbell buzzed and Shiori leapt up to open it. Yoko swallowed his nerves and forced himself to relax.

The journalist was young, with piercing blue eyes. She introduced herself as Tsuyoshi Eyaru and set up her laptop on the coffee table. She looked from Suichi to Yoko and finally said, "I'm assuming you're Suichi?" the redhead nodded. "So then…who are you?"

"I'm the one who rescued him. I'm the one who brought him back home. I am Yoko."

Eyaru blinked. "Oh… Well, whenever you're ready Suichi-san."

Suichi looked at Yoko and sighed. He started out shakily but regained his confidence as he continued to speak. The journalist interrupted him once or twice but for the most part just let him talk.

"Nine years ago I was stolen from my bed and taken to the most horrible place that could possibly exist. I was sixteen. To this day I don't know who my kidnappers were; they blindfolded me and had me bound so tightly I could barely breathe. I remember lying on cold stone for what seemed an endless amount of time before someone picked me up and dragged me off somewhere else.

"When the blindfold was finally removed I was in a tiny cell, with the ropes still wrapped around me. I was gagged too, and terrified. When someone finally showed up it was in the form of the biggest, fattest, ugliest demon imaginable. This was in the days before we knew demons even existed. All I saw was a giant green monster, like something straight out of Hollywood. I remember how my heart stopped in fear, how I could only watch with wide, terrified eyes as this monster approached me with the most lecherous look on his face. I must have fainted when he reached out and grabbed me with his dustbin-lid-sized hands, because the next thing I remember is waking up, hurting like hell, freezing, naked, and feeling so inexplicably violated."

Eyaru interrupted him. "How do you remember all of this if it was nine years ago?"

Suichi did not answer for a moment, his eyes starting to regain the haunted look he had had when Yoko first rescued him. "Every day from that day on is burned into my memory. Although I eventually stopped fighting my captors, I never gave up as some of the others did. I was conscious and aware of every moment of every day, and all of those moments have been stamped into my memory with a fiery brand. M-may I continue?" she nodded.

"I made the connection between the mind-numbing pain in my lower back, the sense of violation, and the look in the demon's eyes. The ropes were gone, save for the ones holding my arms behind my back.  
"The next two or three weeks it was the same thing every day. I didn't know it then but they were breaking me, breaking me in body and spirit so I would not fight when it really started. I was only lucky enough to be unconscious another four times out of the twenty or so times I was raped during the next few weeks.

"Finally, an eternity later, someone besides the monster entered my little cell and hauled me to my feet. He frog-marched me out of the cell and into a much larger one. But here there were many others, some human, some demon, some male, some female, ranging from younger than I even was to mid-thirties. The one thing they all had in common was that they were all extremely good-looking.

"I was given the same 'outfit' as the others—besides the ropes that still bound my arms, it consisted of a cock ring and a cleverly constructed gag that was made totally of steel and held my mouth open at all times. The mouthpiece was a steel ring about a half an inch in length. The diameter was adjustable; my mouth could be opened wider or closed depending on one's whim. That gag was removed once—or twice if I was lucky—a day so I could eat the moldy cheese or stale bread they would feed us with.

"The first two years were the training years. Never once did they tell us what we were in training for, but we were forced to be obedient, submissive, silent unless otherwise instructed. We were taught to wipe all emotion from ourselves; we were brainwashed into forgetting who we were, our names, families, and lives were gone. This training involved many things: rape, torture, starvation, taunting, etc. One of their favorite things was to tie me in an extremely painful position the human—or demon—body is not meant to be in and leaving me there for hours. If I screamed or cried out in any way, they would leave me there longer." Here Suichi paused and stared absently at the far wall. "But it was after those of us that survived 'graduated' that the real horror began. I had given up on escape or rescue and had resigned myself to a lifetime of rape some time before that. But the word 'rape' doesn't even begin to cover it…"

"There were a couple hundred more demons and humans in the third dungeon in which I resided. Only a few were there at a given time during work hours, arms bound and chained to the wall. That first day was the hardest. Once we realized what we had been being prepared for… many just gave up and died that first day."

Eyaru interrupted again. "What were you being prepared for?"

Suichi shook his head. "There's no word to describe it. We weren't prostitutes or even sex slaves. We were more like… living blow-up dolls. The only real difference was the 'customer' would have to tell us what to do with our hands. Our training was so thorough, so exact, that if someone said, 'Jerk me off' it was almost a reflex. No matter what they did to me I would not scream unless they told me to. I did not let them see my fear or my pain or my anger unless the customer wanted me to. We were like robots.

"We would wake up at the crack of dawn after maybe four hours of sleep and eat a pathetically tiny amount of bread or cheese before the customers started pouring in. Don't think we only served demons; there were a number of human customers there too, although their numbers increased about three years later. Anyway we would serve any who requested us. The lucky ones who weren't as popular would have maybe four a day. Most had seven or eight. I was one of the unfortunate few who had thirteen or fourteen a day. Most of the time I was busy through dinner. If we missed dinner, well that was just too bad for us.

"The only break between customers was the hurried five minutes that it took for an Overseer to throw a bucket of often freezing water over me and then scrubbing me down with a brush that was meant for scrubbing floors, not people. It hurt. They scrubbed every inch of us red and raw, regardless of whether or not we were bleeding, regardless of injuries. And often they would rape us themselves before. We were dried by a woman with the power to control both air and fire—it took about four seconds to be completely dry.

"At one or two in the morning our day would end and we would be allowed to sleep. I did not sleep at all the first few weeks, but eventually time caught up with me and I learned to be able to sleep through those precious few hours regardless of how much pain I was in.

"Many gave up and just died. Even more went insane. They would constantly hum to themselves, oblivious to everything except what was in their deluded minds. I envied them sometimes. They obviously felt none of it. The majority just lived on in a state of perpetual unconsciousness. They were as detached as the crazy ones, but able to understand and respond to commands. And a select few of us retained our sanity, retained our awareness. That was me. I was once again one of the unfortunate minority. As I said before, I remember every moment of every day for the past nine years as clearly as if it were yesterday. Day after day of being used, thrown away, cleaned up, and then the whole process repeated. It never faltered. There were no vacations.

"I forgot about the sun and the stars and the grass. I forgot about snow and rain and the feel of the wind in my hair. I forgot the scent of cherry blossoms on a warm day in April. I forgot the gentle twitter of birds at dawn. I forgot about the strange beauty of looking out my window on a clear night and seeing all the lights of the city. I forgot about what it was to smile or laugh or even feel happy. I forgot about the sound of children playing, the thrill of disobeying your parents, the warm feeling when you do well on a test. I forgot what it felt like to sleep in a bed, to eat a proper meal, to take a hot shower or brush my teeth or—anything. I forgot what life was. My entire semi-existence was despair and pain and misery and helplessness and hopelessness." He could not continue.

There was a moment of silence before Yoko laughed humorlessly. They both looked at him. "I was just thinking about how we all complain about how much our lives suck. Our television doesn't work, its cold outside, my spouse is mad at me, I hate my job, my dad just died, I have no friends, whatever. Who are we to complain? I do it too, I won't deny that. But who are we to complain about anything at all? Even someone living out on the streets has little to complain about. He's got the sun and the birds and the lights of the city and all those other things we take for granted that make this such a beautiful world." He stopped, his face darkening. "And it makes my blood boil to think that anyone could take all that away from someone and throw them into such a place."

They were interrupted by the "beep" of Eyaru's tape recorder. She looked at it. "We're out of time, I'm afraid." Her voice was shaking. "Thank you so much Suichi-san."

"N-no, thank you." The redhead whispered. "Who knows, maybe if it makes everyone else as mad as it makes Yoko something will get done."


	2. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Outrage**

"In other news, Minamino Suichi, the boy who was kidnapped from his locked bedroom nine years ago and has recently returned, revealed the horror story of his kidnap, and the subsequent nine years of captivity. The story will be in tomorrow's papers, but much has been edited out. For the full version, please check our website."

Suichi smiled grimly to himself as the six-o-clock news reached his ears from where his mother had it on in the kitchen. He was setting the table for dinner; the usually mundane task felt oddly soothing after his interview.

Yoko came in from where he had been watching the news in the kitchen. "Your televised news is crap," he said. "Every channel is running the same stories, and all of them are about stupid things like fires and car accidents—they're horrible, yes, but they happen every day and shouldn't take precedence over the serious issues your world faces." Suichi nodded his agreement. Yoko was quiet for a moment before saying. "You were on the news though."

"I know. I heard," Suichi set down the last fork and then entered the kitchen. Shiori tried to wave him away, telling him he'd had a trying day and should sit but Suichi ignored her and helped bring out the food.

Conversation revolved mainly around what Suichi had missed since he had last been home. Yoko was quiet, interrupting occasionally to say something cynical. And then about halfway through the meal there was a knock on the door. Suichi started to get up but his mother pushed him back down and went to answer it. Muffled voices drifted through to the pair in the dining room.

Shiori came back in, looking a little dazed. "Y-Yoko-san, you have a visitor…" she said. Yoko got up and went into the next room. Shiori came around to hug her son.

"I didn't think I'd ever see you again…" she whispered.

Suichi closed his eyes. "Same here…"

His mother stared after Yoko for a moment and then smiled. Suichi looked at her. "He really loves you, you know," she said after a moment.

The redhead blushed. "I know," he said, "but I don't know if I love him…" Shiori laughed.

Yoko came back in at that moment, followed by Kuronue. The fox looked disgruntled. "My little hideout was discovered," He growled. "Security stormed the place last night. Fortunately the vixen and her kits had already left," Yoko scowled. Kuronue rolled his eyes.

A thought hit Suichi. "Yoko… what—what if they manage to track us here?" he whispered.

The fox's eyes narrowed. "Didn't think of that… but how would they get through the customs point? 'Hi, we're from an organization of rapists and one of our slaves has fled to the human world. Can we please get through so we can get him back?' Yeah, right." Suichi tried not to smile. Kuronue snorted. Shiori laughed a little.

"They could get through the same way we did." Suichi pointed out after a moment.

Yoko grimaced. "Oh yeah. Well, let us just hope they don't try until at least the day after tomorrow."

"Suichi, I hate to ask but could you please go to the grocery store? We need more eggs."

The redhead smiled. "Of course, Mother. Is there anything else we need?"

Shiori checked her list. "Eggs, milk, bread, and coffee," she said before handing it to her son. Suichi nodded, put on his twenty layers of warm clothing, and left, Yoko following behind.

"….that kid from the news…"

"…think his name was Suichi…"

"…kidnapped nine years ago and just came home on Thursday…"

The mutterings followed the pair from the moment they stepped outside until they re-entered the building.

"I had a feeling this might happen…" Suichi sighed. "I mean I'm used to people staring at me but this is a bit much!" For the past two days Suichi had been receiving dozens of letters from people. Some were sympathetic, many were angry, and some apparently thought he was delusional. He hadn't been outside since the article was published because he was afraid that this was exactly what would happen.

"Let's just get the damn food and go home," Yoko growled, glaring at a teenage girl who was looking covetously at Suichi. That was another thing he hated about the human world: human females.

The cashier stared at the pair of them before saying, "Aren't you that—"

"Yes," Suichi answered before she even finished and left quickly. Yoko took the bag from the redhead as they walked out into the cold day. Suichi huddled into his coat, trying to ignore the whispers. _I wish this coat had a hood…at least then I could obscure my face. Really, haven't these people ever heard of privacy?_ He almost laughed as someone stopped to stare at the coatless Yoko, who insisted that he wasn't cold. Suichi couldn't understand how, and apparently neither did the rest of the world. He sighed. _Maybe it's a demon thing…_

"Suichi, a woman called earlier and asked to speak to you," Shiori informed the pair as they set the groceries on the kitchen counter. "She didn't leave a number, but she said Yoko would know who she was."

Yoko blinked. "Why the hell would I know?"

Shiori smiled. "That's what I thought you'd say. She said her name was… oh dear… something with an 'S'…. what was it now?"

Yoko tried to think of all the people whose names began with 'S' that he knew. "Uh, Suichi, Shiori, Sani—was it her? No? OK—uh, Sahna?"

Shiori nodded. "That's it. See, you do know her."

The fox looked startled. "Well, more like heard of her." _What would she want with Suichi, though? Unless…_ He smiled a little to himself. _Looks like word of Suichi reached the Goddess of Justice herself… this should be interesting._

Suichi watched the fox curiously. "Is there something we should know, Yoko?"

Yoko shook his head. "I imagine she'll want to tell you herself," he was about to say more but the phone started to ring. Shiori picked it up. From the end of the conversation the two could hear, it was obvious Sahna had called back. Shiori walked in with the cordless phone, and listened for a moment before handing it to Yoko. The fox had a moment's trouble adjusting his ear and the phone so he could hear properly.

"Hello?" he said.

There was some static before a rather hassled female voice said, "I hate cell phones… sorry. You there?" Yoko grunted an assent. "Good. Apparently your friend's story pissed the hell out of a bunch of humanitarians," she paused. "Not to mention me, as well. But yeah, we're gonna go storm the place and I had a feeling the two of you would wanna come."

It took a moment for that to sink in. _She's so young! You think Goddess of Justice and you see a little old cranky lady…_ Yoko shook his head to clear it. "We do," he said.

There was some more static, louder this time, before Sahna's voice returned. "Ugh… anyway, should we meet you at the portal? I'll badger the guards into letting you both through so you don't have to do it illegally this time." Yoko's nostrils flared. "Oh, and Yoko? Drop the honorifics when you arrive. None of the humans and few of the demons know who I am and I'm trying to keep it that way."

Yoko agreed and hung up before looking at Suichi triumphantly. "She wanted to know if we wanted to 'go storm the place,' as she put it. I told her we did," He paused. "You do, right?"

"Of course." Suichi responded. "When?"

Yoko grinned. "She made it sound like she meant right now. You have any objection?"

Suichi shook his head, but then looked at his mother. "I'll only be gone a short while, Mother. A few days, at most, I promise."

She nodded, still looking sad. "I know. I just worry about you. I'm your mother."

Suichi shook his head to clear it as he stepped from the portal. He coughed as he was hit with the blast of warm, summer air. The redhead opened his eyes and jumped, crying out in surprise as he laid eyes on the biggest dog he had ever seen.

The dog regarded them both with solemn golden eyes. It was predominantly gray, with patches of brown, black, and brindle. His ears were floppy and his tail the one of a husky. But he was literally the size of a bear.

Suichi looked up at Yoko and saw the fox was overcoming his own initial shock. The dog rose to its feet and turned, looking back as if to say, "Follow me" before trotting off into the woods. The pair followed, on guard for anything suspicious. Suddenly a long howl reached their ears, making every hair on Suichi's body rise in fear. Yoko, on the other hand, relaxed. Their canine companion howled back in a much more guttural fashion before breaking into a swift lope again.

"And here come the guests of honor themselves!"

Suichi found himself face-to-face with a television camera. Yoko growled behind him. "Nobody told me this was being _recorded_."

"What did you think, Yoko? You know humans love to put everything they possibly can on TV," a woman looked up from where she had been petting the dog. She was obviously a demon, judging from her tail and furry wolf ears. She had the tall, lean build of a fighter but was still curvy enough to be called feminine. Her long reddish-brown hair hung in slight waves to her waist, just above her gray tail. Her ears were smaller than Yoko's, and black instead of silver, but her eyes were the same shade of gold. In short, she was a wolf demon.

Yoko caught himself before he bowed. "Sahna," he said gruffly. Besides him, Suichi's brow creased a tiny bit. _I think he was expecting someone…older. And probably in some long gown, shining with some sort of holy light, not this scruffy-looking little wolf._ Yoko sighed and glared threateningly at the cameraman as he tried to approach. "You could have warned us," he said to Sahna, who merely grinned at him.

"I had other things on my mind," She responded. "You have no idea how hard it is to coordinate an inter-species rescue party. Especially when we're all as high-strung and pissed as we are."

"So, are we going anytime soon or are we just gonna stand here all day?" A few of the humans screamed as Kuronue dropped out of a tree. The dog growled and got to his feet, but Sahna laid a hand on his head and he quieted.

"Damnit, why can't they just _walk_ like normal people?" Yoko heard a human say to his friend. He suppressed a grin.

"Indeed, Sahna," the fox agreed, "I thought this was a rescue mission, not a picnic. Are we going or what?"

The wolf laughed. "I do believe there's one more person waiting for his cue to make his dramatic entrance," She turned and stared into the trees.

Karasu dropped down without a sound, causing one human woman to faint. He looked at Yoko and snorted. "Idiot fox. Always have to play the hero, don't you?"

Yoko ignored him, even as Suichi suppressed a giggle. Sahna tried to gather the party's attention but it just wasn't happening. She sighed and walked into the forest, with Suichi following, until the rest got the idea and started after her.

"How are we doing this, Sahna?" Suichi asked, crouching behind a bush.

All humor was gone from the wolf's eyes. "Simple. We storm the place, kill any who resist, beat the crap out of the owner, and get your friends out."

Besides her, Kuronue snorted. "Well that's no fun," he grumbled. Suichi agreed with him. She glared at both of them, before grudgingly listening to Suichi's idea.

"Absolutely not."

They looked up at Yoko as the human finished outlining his plan.

Suichi scowled. "Oh come on, Yoko. I've let you have your dramatic moments, let me have mine! If they try anything stupid I know you'll be right behind me."

Yoko's nostrils flared. "I still don't like it… why should you put yourself in dang—" he stopped. Suichi had already risen and was walking towards the building. "Fool…"

"Well, if you want something passive there's alw—" the clerk was cut off as the door banged open. Outside the sky had darkened and rain was beginning to fall. The clerk's eyes brightened as Suichi entered, freely, and for all apparent purposes, alone. The clerk got up of his chair and approached the redhead gleefully.

"Here is a perfect example of how well trained they are!" he exclaimed, walking around Suichi. The human did not move, his head lowered. "Did you come back here all by yourself, human?"

"Yes," Suichi whispered, managing to keep his voice from trembling. Outside, thunder crashed and the rain fell faster.

The clerk smiled. "You escaped your kidnapper and came back here all on your own, did you?"

"Yes."

The demon smiled smugly at his customer. "You see? Here is the boy who was kidnapped from us a few weeks ago. We couldn't find him, but it appears he's been so well trained he came back on his own," he stroked Suichi's hair. "He couldn't bear to be away any longer, could you?"

"I did not come back because I was well trained," Suichi said, slowly letting the anger seep into his voice, "I came here—" he raised his head, "—to kill you." Behind him, a bolt of lighting struck the earth as he spoke, illuminating the snarling black wolf standing in the doorway. It howled, and the forest rang with the responses.

Another bolt of lightning illuminated the outline of a tall, muscular person. The next time, his long hair billowing about him in the wind was visible. On the third stroke of lighting, the clerk could see the cruel golden eyes as Yoko advanced.

From the corner, the camouflaged demon that had been holding the television camera came out from the corner. As suddenly as it started, the storm stopped and the sky cleared again. Everyone jumped as a part of the ceiling exploded with a deafening boom as Karasu landed lightly inside. Kuronue followed him, landing on the opposite side of the doorway as Yoko sidestepped the snarling wolf and entered the building.

"So," he said quietly, "I'm a kidnapper now, am I?" Behind him, Sahna advanced, stiff-legged. The clerk shrunk away in fear. He found himself unable to breathe as Yoko grabbed him by the throat and pinned him to the wall. "So what does that make you?" the fox hissed. "What does that make you and every other God-forsaken demon in here? What does that make those who would steal a _sixteen year old boy_ from his bed and force him into this?" He didn't wait for an answer; he just crushed the clerk's throat with one hand, dropping him disdainfully.

With a bark Sahna bounded into the room, morphing back into her humanoid form as she led the fighters through, killing every official they could find. Suichi, Yoko, and the rescue crew followed, the redhead leading the way down the all-too-familiar hallways.

_Never thought I'd be back here…_ Suichi swallowed his fear and felt Yoko wrap an arm around his shoulders. The fox dispatched the guards at the steel doors and threw them open. Eagerly the TV people barged in before the rescue team could even think of moving and started the cameras rolling over the dungeon. Suichi buried his face in Yoko's side for a moment before taking a deep breath and entering. _I'm the only one who knows what these people have gone through… I must be strong!_ There were only about twenty of them, most of whom Suichi did not know.

He flinched as the first alarm blared. Security people were there within the minute, but Karasu and Kuronue made short work of them. The alarm continued to blaze as all of the occupants were cut free.

"This is stupid…" Yoko suddenly said after banging his toe on a table. With a flick of his wrist the entire room was lit by the large lamp-like flower he had grown on the table. "That's better. Couldn't see a damn thing before…"

Suichi was still semi-frozen in the doorway, but he took another deep breath and grabbed some water bottles from the bag the rescue team had. He approached the young boy he had seen before.

"Here," he said, handing a cup to the boy. He looked up at Suichi with wide, confused eyes. "It's alright; we're getting you out of here," Suichi murmured. "You're safe now. No one is going to harm you. Drink some water and rest. We'll have you out of here soon enough." The redhead moved on.

"I know you," the woman rasped. "You got rescued, didn't you?" Suichi nodded and looked at Yoko. "I couldn't live my life knowing this place was still operating," He said truthfully, handing her a cup of water.

Periodically, one of the party would lead another one in, until finally all two hundred were present.

Suichi groaned quietly and fell backwards, feeling Yoko catch him. He smiled. "Thank you, Yoko. I think my legs gave way."

The fox nudged him back onto his feet. "We're all tired, Suichi. But we can't stop now." They both looked over at the fifty or so that still remained. Yoko scowled. "And this is taking way to long…" he said, louder.

A human glared at him from where he was filing through a chain. "If you have a better way, Mr. High-and-Mighty, than please, share it."

"Actually I do," Yoko pulled out a rose. The human stared at him disbelievingly. Yoko smirked and flicked it as it grew into his Rose Whip. He prowled to the end of the row and stared down the line of chains before cracking it. Suichi flinched a second before the earsplitting snap sounded. Everyone jumped; a few people screamed. Kuronue smirked. The human who had spoken had turned as white as a sheet.

"What if you had missed!? You could have killed them!"

Karasu laughed dryly. "Obviously you don't know whom you are speaking to. Yoko never misses. He could slice the wing off a fly if he so chose."

Things did go much faster after the fox had snapped the chains. He used the same little trick to slice the gags from their faces, never once taking even a single hair with it. He moved so quickly that to the human eye he was a white and green blur. In a matter of seconds he had accomplished what otherwise might have taken hours.

Sahna chose that moment to stroll in, casually licking blood off her hand. She looked up and her eyes narrowed. Suichi watched in amazement as her fur changed from black to a flaming orange-red as the wolf spun on her heel and marched back up the stairs. Yoko smiled grimly.

"'If you manage to piss off the Goddess of Justice, then neither fleetness of foot nor quickness of mind can save you from her fury,'" he quoted. "And if just hearing Suichi's story made her angry before, well…"

Sahna had the building burned to the ground. It was not as easy to rid the newly freed prisoners of their pain, however. Suichi spent hours with each of them, coaxing the coherent ones into remembering who they were and trying to reach in ones who had gone insane. He was fairly successful with the humans but not so much with the demon prisoners.

"Maybe demons are just not willing to trust humans," Yoko offered as an explanation. Suichi sighed, frustrated at his inability to reach them. His head hurt, his back ached, and he desperately wanted a shower. Yoko pulled the redhead to him. "Rest, Suichi. You're driving yourself too hard. Some things you just can't change, and driving yourself crazy trying certainly won't help."

"I'm so tired, Yoko… I want to go home. I want my life back…" Suichi buried his face in Yoko's shoulder, too exhausted to cry.

"I know, love. I know," Yoko softly ran his fingers through the human's hair, lulling Suichi into an uneasy sleep.

The next morning, the human party plus Yoko returned to the human world. They were unsurprised to find the families of people who had gone missing in the past twenty years waiting anxiously by the portal. Suichi had managed to get through to all of them—even the insane ones. He stumbled through the portal last, Yoko supporting him.

The fox was separated from Suichi by the sudden throng of teary-eyed mothers that mobbed the redhead as soon as he stepped outside. Somehow the human fought them off and staggered away from the crowd, falling to his knees in the snow a few feet away.

Yoko broke free from his own throng of grateful humans and helped Suichi to his feet. "Come on. Let's get you home before we both get swamped again." He whispered, leading the exhausted boy away.

"_Suichi!_" Shiori was waiting for them at the door of the apartment, teary-eyed. "Oh, Suichi, I saw the news report and the rest of it online and—" she broke down in tears.

Suichi smiled and hugged her. "It's alright Mother. I'm here. I'm home. I'm fine."

"H-how c-can you b-be fine?" Shiori hiccupped, clinging to her son.

Suichi smiled. "Because I have people who love me," he whispered. "And because I know that hellhole is nothing more than a pile of ash. It's funny," he said after a moment, "before, I didn't really feel free. But now I do. I feel safe, and I feel free." A tear leaked from the corner of his closed eye, even as a smile slowly spread across his face.

"S-Suichi…" Suichi didn't move. Shiori frowned. "Suichi?"

The fox laughed. "He hasn't gotten much sleep recently. Let him rest."


	3. Chapter 7

"I'm not sure how much more of this I can take…" Suichi muttered as he and Yoko clambered through the back alleyways to reach Suichi's apartment. Or rather, Suichi clambered; Yoko hopped nimbly from one spot to the other.

The fox stopped to wait for him. "What can't you take, the climbing or hordes of adoring humans?"

Suichi pulled himself up onto the brick wall, panting, "both."

Yoko grinned. "Well, I can eliminate one of those problems, at least," the fox promptly scooped the redhead into his arms and darted off.

"Y-Yoko, what…?" Suichi could feel the heat creeping onto his cheeks. He squirmed a little, and the fox stopped and looked at him.

"What?" he asked, "Are you not comfortable?"

Suichi paused. "N-No, I'm comfortable enough. You startled me, that's all," _He's so warm and strong… I'm more than comfortable. I could sleep right here if I had to…_ He closed his eyes, trusting the fox without a second thought.

All too soon, Yoko had landed on the balcony and was setting him down. They entered the warm apartment and shed their coats before Yoko finally spoke.

"I'm getting kinda homesick, Suichi…" he said, staring out at the city. "I'm going to go home soon."

Suichi's eyes widened. "Y-Yoko…" He knew he could not ask for the fox to stay any longer, but he didn't want his friend to leave.

Yoko looked at him. "Suichi, why don't you come with me? Just until all of this dies down and you don't need a bodyguard just to go shopping. I promise I'll bring you home when everything quiets."

Suichi had been thinking about that himself. It certainly was annoying having screaming, crying mothers tailing his every step. Slowly, he nodded. "Let me just ask moth—"

The fox cut him off. "I already checked with your mother. She said it was fine as long as I bring you home."

Suichi smiled a little. "Well then, I guess I have no more reasons to delay. Except, I want to pack some spare clothing this time. Should we leave in the morning?"

At a quarter to five the next morning, Yoko nudged his friend awake.

"Time to go."

Suichi nodded and hurriedly dressed and grabbed his bag. Together the two walked out into the freezing early morning. As Yoko had predicted, no one was around to bother them as they made their way towards the portal.

To both of their surprise, the human guards just waved them through. This time Yoko put his arm around Suichi's shoulders as they walked through the surreal space. Suichi pressed close to the fox; the unnatural silence and the fact that there didn't seem to be anything under his feet made him uneasy.

Finally they were through, and Suichi shed his heavy winter coat and long-sleeve shirt, stuffing them both into his bag. Light was just beginning to creep over the horizon as Yoko once more picked the human up. As always, Suichi leaned his head against the chiseled chest and closed his eyes. And, as always, the little flight was over way too soon.

Suichi's feet had barely touched the dew-soaked grass when there was a soft 'thwump' and a muffled cry from Yoko. He whirled around in alarm.

"Damnit, K-Karasu!" Yoko sat up, eyes a little glassy, and glared at the raven sitting on his legs. "Can't you just give me a _hug_ instead of dropping out of nowhere like that!?"

"Of course not Yoko, you know that. He's Karasu." Kuronue leaned in the doorway, his long hair, free from its usual ponytail, cascaded over his shoulders as the bat blinked sleep from his eyes. "What are you doing arriving at this hour of the morning, anyway?"

Yoko looked at Suichi. "The break of dawn is the only time of day when Suichi's fan club isn't waiting to jump us," he said, smirking a little.

Suichi chuckled and gazed off into the trees. "It's so quiet here. I can hear the birds and everything…" he closed his eyes and leaned against the fox.

"Careful, kid. It's real easy to fall asleep just listening to the silence and you don't want to do that…" Suichi opened an eye to look at Kuronue.

"Why not? It sounds pleasant to me."

Yoko grinned. "Looks can be deceiving, Suichi. That forest is _not_ peaceful. There are monsters straight outta one of your human fairytales lurking in the shadows, just waiting for some innocent human to fall asleep so they can devour him…"

Suichi stood up. "How cheerful."

Kuronue grabbed Yoko before the fox got inside. "Why's he here, Yoko?"

Yoko sighed. "Sorry Kuronue. I know you've been missing me, and now when I finally come home I've got unanticipated company. But you didn't see the throngs of people, Kuro! Everyone sees him as a hero, and it's more than a little overwhelming for both of us," Yoko nibbled on the edge of his lover's ear. "It's only until the excitement dies down, I promise. Then, I'm all yours."

The bat grabbed Yoko's chin and gently turned the fox's head. Yoko looked up at Kuronue and smiled. Kuronue wrapped his arms around Yoko's waist, pulled the kitsune to him and kissed him tenderly.

Suichi watched the two demons from where he sat in the living room. He smiled. _I may have been wrong about Kuronue, either that or he's gotten gentler. _The redhead smiled as Yoko laid his cheek briefly on the bat's chest as Kuronue embraced him. _Maybe I've just been paranoid and blind to what I don't understand. Or maybe demon love doesn't work the way human love does. Whatever it is, I don't care as long as Yoko is alright._ Yoko shot him a strange glance as he came to sit down next to the human, Karasu on his heels. Kuronue turned with a yawn and announced he was going back to bed.

"Up late last night, Kuro?" Yoko joked. His lover scowled at him and retreated behind the closed door.

**_It was cold. He opened his eyes and stared at the blanket of white stretching endlessly before him. More of the icy flakes blew down from the sky in an angry swirl, and the freezing wind cut him to the bone. Suichi stood and started walking, knowing that lying still in the snow is a dangerous and stupid thing to do. On he staggered, fingers, ears, and toes numbing. It never ended. The snow kept falling, and the land stretched before him, unchanging and unwavering. His face burned as chips of ice struck his cheeks and stung his flesh like a hive of angry bees. Everything was white: the sky and the Earth were indistinguishable. He didn't know which way was up. It was so cold. Suichi fell to his knees, unable to go any further. The ice soaked through his thin pants and burned his legs. Slowly he began to cry, the tears freezing on his cheeks. It was so cold. The whole world was frozen and he was the only being of warmth. _**

**_Footsteps crunched through the snow. Suichi turned, and saw a figure of white, hardly visible against the blinding storm. The wind blew his long hair into a silvery halo. _**

**_Suichi's eyes widened. Behind him the snow was melting, and the grass seemed to grow beneath his feet as he advanced through this white nightmare. Suichi hauled himself to his feet and stared at this god of warmth. His gold eyes were salient against the white of his hair and clothes and the swirling cold. As he neared, Suichi could feel the warmth radiating from his body and he stumbled forward, desperate for heat._**

**_And then he was wrapped in the haven of this god's arms and light exploded around them. The snow pulled away from them and the grass sprang up. Suichi looked behind them and trees rapidly emerging from the ground. His ears caught the sound of tentative bird calls, and his nose the scent of new spring flowers. The saline ice melted from his face and resumed their course down his flushed face._**

**_Together they started to walk, leaving a trail of warmth and light behind them. Around them, the cold unforgiving winter whirled and shrieked, furious that such a creature dared disrupt the freezing, deathly Hell..._**

Suichi opened his eyes and stared at the wall, trying to make sense of the repeating dream. _Why do I keep having the same dream? What does it mean? Why can't I figure this out!?_ The human looked over at Yoko, who was curled up under the blanket, sleeping peacefully. Suichi smiled. _Yoko… I don't know where I'd be without you. Thank you so much, fox._

A few weeks of laziness had passed before word arrived from Shiori that the throngs had given up. Yoko told him he'd take him through and then return back to the Makai.

"Yoko… will I ever see you again?" Suichi asked him that night, feeling tears rise.

The fox smiled reassuringly. "Of course, Suichi. I'm not going to abandon you, love. I'll come see you on the weekends, or something, I promise."

Suichi nodded and let the fox wrap him in his arms.

Yoko woke with a cry of alarm as Kuronue kissed him fiercely. He moaned and wrapped his arms around the bat's shoulders, careful not to wake Suichi.

"You've been gone too long, fox," Kuronue growled. "He's been taking you from me…"

Yoko frowned a little. "Kuronue… he's going home tomorrow, you know that. Please be patient for one night more, my love. Tomorrow you can have me all to yourself, I promise."

Yoko could not see the jealous look Kuronue cast at Suichi before he stood, nor could he see the strange glint in Kuronue's violet eyes.


	4. Chapter 8

For the third Sunday in a row, Suichi crawled into bed with a dejected sigh. _I don't understand… he never skips three weeks in a row! He's always here at least every other weekend, if not every weekend… Yoko, where are you?_ Suichi curled up around his pillow, the prospect of the next day looming over him.

The redhead had started to pull his life back on track, trying to put the past where it belonged. He had picked up school where he had left off, restarting his junior year of high school and whizzing through it. Suichi was determined to try and resume living the way he had been, even though he knew it was impossible to just shrug away the past nine years. So while he was a little old to be a senior in high school, Suichi ignored the mutters and the rumors, knowing they were born from ignorance and not malice.

But he was still prone to sudden fits of depression that could last for days at a time. He had come to rely on Yoko's weekend visits as mood-lifters. And now, the fox had been MIA for three weeks, and Suichi was getting worried.

How he managed to make it through the next week of school was beyond him. That Friday, Suichi didn't even bother waiting for Yoko. He curled up in a chair in his room and just stared at the wall, lost in his depression and in his thoughts. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

_**It was cold. He opened his eyes and stared at the blanket of white stretching endlessly before him. More of the icy flakes blew down from the sky in an angry swirl, and the freezing wind cut him to the bone. Suichi stood and started walking, knowing that lying still in the snow is a dangerous and stupid thing to do. On he staggered, fingers, ears, and toes numbing. It never ended. The snow kept falling, and the land stretched before him, unchanging and unwavering. His face burned as chips of ice struck his cheeks and stung his flesh like a hive of angry bees. Everything was white: the sky and the Earth were indistinguishable. He didn't know which way was up. It was so cold. Suichi fell to his knees, unable to go any further. The ice soaked through his thin pants and burned his legs. Slowly he began to cry, the tears freezing on his cheeks. It was so cold. The whole world was frozen and he was the only being of warmth.**_

_**But Suichi knew this dream. He wiped the ice from his cheeks and stood up again, starting to trudge forward once more. ::The white fox will come…he will come…he always does…:: He kept walking; scanning the white world for his God of Light. But he wasn't there. No one was there but him. He was alone, abandoned, deserted in this cold, harsh world. **_

_**Suichi could not walk any farther: the cold was too intense, his legs were too tired, his heart was too broken. Slowly the human sank to his knees once more, the biting wind cutting through him like shards of white hot desertion. He felt weak; he collapsed in the soft snow, welcoming the soaking cushions as a reprise from the stinging wind.**_

_**Suichi felt darkness overtaking his mind and he closed his eyes. ::My fox…where are you? Why haven't you come for me? Where are you…Yoko…::**_

Suichi's eyes snapped open and he stared at the confines of his room. _How could I have missed it before!? That dream… my rescuer has always been Yoko…always! He's my bringer of warmth and light…the one who has held back the cold and the pain and the darkness has always been Yoko… how could I not have seen it!?_ Suichi buried his face in his hands. _And now he's not here…he won't come to me in reality, or in my dreams! He's left me… to die. _

Suichi ignored his mother as she called him for dinner. _Death seems so welcoming… suddenly it feels like there's no further reason for me to live… I hadn't realized how much I depend on him…why has he left me!?_

Suichi awoke with a cry of alarm as someone fell through his open window. His first thought was that someone was coming to kidnap him again, but then the figure straightened.

"Y-Yoko…"

The moment the fox came into Suichi's limited line of vision, Suichi could tell something was wrong. Yoko whimpered and crawled under Suichi's blanket, shivering. Suichi reached out and turned on the light

"Yoko? What's wrong with you?" Suichi asked, his brow furrowing.

"K-Kuronue…" Suichi didn't even need to see the look in Yoko's eyes sense the betrayal. "He…he…"

A scuffle outside interrupted them. Kuronue and Karasu tumbled into the room, Kuronue trying to pry Karasu off of him. Yoko whimpered.

"Get a hold of yourself, Kuronue!" Karasu snarled, trying to get the bat's arms behind his back.

Kuronue fought him off, rage and jealously dancing in his eyes. "Don't you see, Karasu? Yoko's being stolen from us from right under our eyes! That little human _whore_ is taking our fox!"

Yoko sat up, looking furious. "I don't care what you do to me, Kuronue, but you leave Suichi out of this!" he quailed under Kuronue's accusing glare.

"He doesn't love you Yoko," Kuronue hissed. "Can't you see he's mocking you? He's making fun of your love by acting like he loves you when we all know he doesn't!"

Yoko shook his head. "I'm _not_ listening to you anymore!" he cried out.

Suddenly Kuronue broke free from Karasu and darted forward. He grabbed Suichi by the throat and pinned him to the wall. "You little _witch_," he spat. "You've tricked my precious Yoko into thinking he's in love with you so you can mock him! Show us who you really are!"

Both demons launched themselves at Kuronue, but pulled up short as they heard the resounding 'crack!' of Suichi's hand connecting with Kuronue's cheek. There was a moment of stunned silence, and then Kuronue let go of Suichi and staggered back a step. Suichi's hands flew to his mouth in surprise.

Yoko darted forward and pulled Suichi to him protectively. Karasu had Kuronue arms pinned behind his back. Suichi looked up at the fox in confusion. "Wh-What's going on, Yoko?"

Karasu answered him. "Kuronue's jealous of you, Suichi. He let the jealously get hold of him."

Yoko started to tremble. "He's been like this for a while: muttering that you're taking me away from him and Karasu, and that you're only trying to hurt me. It almost worked, too. He almost had me believing you were some evil—He wouldn't let me go to you; he kept restraining me and telling me it was for my own good!! If Karasu hadn't intervened I would've—"

"L-Let me go, Karasu…"

Karasu tightened his grasp. "Give me one good reason why I should," he hissed.

"All I needed was a good slap," Kuronue whispered. He raised his head. "Yoko, I am _so_ sorry!" he looked at Suichi. "I should apologize to you, too, Suichi. I've been so selfish; I completely ignored the fact that you probably need Yoko's support more than I do!" Kuronue's eyes flickered back to Yoko. "I'm just so scared of losing you…"

"I'm still angry, Kuronue," Yoko whispered. "I'm angry, and I'm hurt, and I feel just a little betrayed. You should have just _told_ me you were jealous! You should have _told_ me you were feeling ignored! You know how much I love you, Kuronue."

Kuronue hung his head. "I know, Yoko. And I'm sorry. I love you with all my heart and it's just that the thought of losing you— I'm so sorry…"

Yoko didn't look at him. Suichi leaned into the fox's arms and closed his eyes sleepily. Karasu released Kuronue and turned.

"I'll leave you three to work this out," he growled before disappearing.

Kuronue watched Yoko a moment longer before sighing and turning around himself. "I know you don't want to talk to me right now. I'll go back home. Come back when you think you can try to forgive me." He leapt out into the night.

Suichi rested his head on Yoko's trembling chest. "Yoko… would it help you feel better if I told you that I—I _do_ love you?"

Yoko tensed. "S-Suichi… do you mean that? Please tell me you do…"

Suichi smiled. "I do mean it, Yoko. I love you."

The fox smiled. "And I love you too, Suichi. Now let's go to bed; I'm tired and it's late."

Feeling warm and safe and happy, Suichi curled up in Yoko's arms, shyly resting his head on the fox's chest before falling asleep.

_**It was cold. He opened his eyes and stared at the blanket of white stretching endlessly before him. More of the icy flakes blew down from the sky in an angry swirl, and the freezing wind cut him to the bone. Suichi stood and started walking, knowing that lying still in the snow is a dangerous and stupid thing to do. On he staggered, fingers, ears, and toes numbing. It never ended. The snow kept falling, and the land stretched before him, unchanging and unwavering. His face burned as chips of ice struck his cheeks and stung his flesh like a hive of angry bees. Everything was white: the sky and the Earth were indistinguishable. He didn't know which way was up. It was so cold. Suichi fell to his knees, unable to go any further. The ice soaked through his thin pants and burned his legs. Slowly he began to cry, the tears freezing on his cheeks. It was so cold. The whole world was frozen and he was the only being of warmth. **_

_**Footsteps crunched through the snow. Suichi turned, and saw a figure of white, hardly visible against the blinding storm. The wind blew his long hair into a silvery halo. **_

_**Suichi's eyes widened. Behind him the snow was melting, and the grass seemed to grow beneath his feet as he advanced through this white nightmare. Suichi hauled himself to his feet and stared at this god of warmth. His gold eyes were salient against the white of his hair and clothes and the swirling cold. As he neared, Suichi could feel the warmth radiating from his body and he stumbled forward, desperate for heat.**_

_**And then he was wrapped in the haven of this god's arms and light exploded around them. The snow pulled away from them and the grass sprang up. Suichi looked behind them and trees rapidly emerging from the ground. His ears caught the sound of tentative bird calls, and his nose the scent of new spring flowers. The saline ice melted from his face and resumed their course down his flushed face.**_

_**But now, the spring warmth spread farther than it ever had, radiating away from the two figures in every direction and melting away the cold. In a manner of moments, the previously cold, unforgiving, and harsh world was transformed into a beautifully flowering paradise.**_


End file.
